The present invention relates to an air conditioner.
FIG. 1 is a side vertical sectional view of a conventional overhead recessed air conditioner as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Appln. No. 54-166043, and FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the same. An air conditioner body 4 is mounted in an outer case 5 suspended from a ceiling beam 2 of a building 1 by bolts 3, the outer case 5 containing a heat exchanger 6 and a blower 7. The air conditioner further includes an intake vent 8, a supply vent 9, an electrical parts box 10 attached to one side of the outer case 5 and containing a power supply terminal board, a control board, etc. (not shown), and a pipe 11 installed on the supply side of the outer case 5 and coupled to a duct. The air conditioner is installed on ceiling plate 12.
The conventional overhead recessed air conditioner thus constructed has only one air supply vent, which opens towards the ceiling. Consequently, a duct must be installed to introduce the cooled air into the room, which is disadvantageous in that, even if the air is introduced into the room through the duct, the indoor air temperature distribution may be uneven because there is provided only one supply vent.
Another conventional overhead recessed air conditioner will be described below.
FIG. 3 is a side view illustrating a partial section of conventional overhead recessed air conditioner as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Appln. No. 55-126131. In FIG. 4, there is shown an air conditioner body 101 installed in a space C above a ceiling plate A, the air conditioner body being suspended from a ceiling beam B and fixed with suspension bolts 102 and having a decorative panel 103 attached to the undersurface 101a of the body 101 fitted in the opening of the ceiling plate A with set bolts 104, and air intake vent 105, air supply vents 106, louvers 107, and a filter 108.
The method of installing such a conventional air conditioner includes steps of fixing the body 101 to the ceiling beam B with the suspension bolts 102 so as to place it in the space C above the ceiling plate A, and setting and attaching the decorative panel 103 in position with the set bolts 104.
In the conventional overhead recessed air conditioner thus constructed, the appearance of the unit will be marred unless the decorative panel is installed in close in contact with the undersurface of the ceiling plate A. Moreover, if the body 101 and the decorative panel 103 are incompletely adhesion-bonded as shown in FIG. 4, not only leakage of air toward the space C above the ceiling plate, but also air short-circuiting between the supply vents and the intake vent will occur, whereby condensation of moisture on the outer wall and a reduction in efficiency result.
Because of the above-described problems, a great deal of care must be paid to the installation of the air conditioner. Since the body 101 must be separated from the decorative panel 103, furthermore, the resulting large size of the product during shipment is detrimental to transport efficiency because the decorative panel 103 is larger than the body 101 in size. In addition to these problems, the conventional air conditioner has other disadvantages in that, if the body and the decorative panel are separately packed, packaging and handling costs of the product are increased.
Still another conventional overhead recessed air conditioner will be described below.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a conventional overhead recessed air conditioner as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Appln. No. 55-126131, for instance, wherein there is shown an air conditioner body 201 suspended from a ceiling slab 203 through suspension bolts 202. The air conditioner attached to a ceiling 205 includes a decorative grille 204 attached to its body 201 with set bolts 206, an intake vent 207, and supply vents 208. The method of installing the air conditioner includes steps of suspending the body 201 from the slab 203, fixing the body 201 to the ceiling with the suspension bolts 202, and attaching the decorative panel 204 to the body 201 from outside the ceiling 205 with the bolts 206.
In the conventional air conditioner thus constructed, its appearance will be spoiled unless the decorative panel 204 is installed in such a way that it is in close contact with the ceiling 205 and, if the body 201 and the decorative panel 204 are not completely in contact with each other as shown in FIG. 6, air short-circuiting due to air leakage and condensation on the outer wall will occur.
Yet another conventional air conditioner will be described below.
In an air conditioner of the type disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Appln. No. 56-38235, as shown in FIG. 7, an overhead recessed air conditioner body 301 has a decorative panel attached thereto, the decorative panel having an intake vent 302 and a supply vent arranged on the undersurface thereof. Reference numeral 307 represents the undersurface of the ceiling. A multiblade blower 313 is installed above the intake vent 302 in the body 301, and an air supply passage 9 is formed between the blower 308 and the supply vent 303, a heat exchanger 310 being installed within the supply passage 309. An arrow represents the air flow. Reference numeral 312 represents a condensate collecting pan.
In the air conditioner thus constructed, air is sucked from the room through the intake vent 302 as the blower 308 rotates and is sent to the heat exchanger 310. The air is cooled and dehumidified in the heat exchanger 310 before being blown out of the supply vents 303 for air conditioning purposes.
The air sucked from the intake vent 302 as the blower 308 rotates is sent to the heat exchanger 310 while colliding with the upper side of the air conditioner body 301. The air is then cooled and dehumidified by the heat exchanger 310 before being blown from the supply vent 303 into the room for air conditioning purposes. Moreover, the moisture contained in the air is condensed in the heat exchanger 310 while the air is cooled and dehumidified therein. A condenser collecting pan 312 under the heat exchangers 310 discharges it from the body 310.
The air conditioner of this type is normally installed in the central portion of the ceiling in consideration of its external appearance viewed from the room. Accordingly, it has been difficult to make uniform the air current and temperature distribution.
The reason for such difficulty lies in the fact that the supply vent 303 is provided only on one side of the undersurface of the air conditioner body 301. The body is installed on the ceiling. In other words, the ambient atmosphere where the body is placed has a temperature and humidity higher than the air in the room. The decorative panel located on the undersurface of the ceiling is exposed to the air in the room and thus cooled. Where the sides of the decorative panel come in contact with the air in the ceiling, they will produce condensation 311, which can drop into the room. Furthermore, the drainage collected on the condensate collecting pan 312 is affected by the adjacent air currents because the pan 312 is disposed in the air supply passage in the body 301. Consequently, the flow in the drain may be stopped and the water prevented from being discharged from the body 301, causing the drainage to overflow the pan 312 and to splash into the room through the supply vents 303.